State of Tech survey blog
After the year we’ve had, it’s a critical time in schools’ strategy setting. Last year, however, many teachers didn’t feel involved. This may be understandable given the constantly shifting landscape educators have been subjected to over the past 12 months. But is now the time to take stock, facilitate feedback and elicit input from around the school?
As schools prepare for the academic year 2021/2022, we’re asking school leaders what they will do to future proof their edtech strategies. Who from the school will be involved and what are the guiding influences? Complete our survey to be a part of our essential annual research.
After schools closed to most students , educators were forced to balance teaching a small group of students in-person while simultaneously providing remote lessons to the majority of learners at home. To do so, many drew upon the blended learning model which combines traditional classroom methods with digital resources.
So, can a strategic hybrid learning approach, grounded in effective edtech help staff overcome the challenges they’ve experienced with remote teaching, while supporting student engagement and attainment?
What are the challenges of hybrid learning?
According to USA Facts, of the 52 million households with children present, 74% always had access to a computer for educational purposes in September and 16% had access most of the time. An additional 8%, or 4.4 million households, had a computer available sometimes, rarely, or never. Staff, too, likely suffered a shortage of crucial equipment to facilitate remote teaching.
While a hybrid approach to education is a learning curve for schools, it doesn’t require a radical reinvention of pedagogy to align with the expanded scope for involving edtech. Teachers can continue using the assets they developed in class, without having to recreate content from scratch in new or unfamiliar platforms.
How essential is technology to schools’ strategic goals?
When asked what their biggest professional challenges in a remote teaching scenario was last year, teachers ranked “students lack access to technology” and “engaging students” top, and in fact, all respondents stated that the digital divide would be their biggest barrier to maximize student success in the coming school year.
Has this changed this year, as the reliance on technology has skyrocketed through the course of the pandemic?
Have your say, complete our survey
Has your school begun to plan for its 2022 strategy yet? Which tools and classroom technologies will provide the flexibility needed for an ongoing period of uncertainty? Complete our survey to be a part of our most important State of Technology in Education report to date.
